Building a brand

Dude, Just Increase Your Luck Surface Area.

Success has physics, use that to your advantage.

We have seen it firsthand!

Some people win the lottery on their first try.

Others spend their whole life playing and never win a dollar.

Check this out.

Disclaimer: links in this article take you offsite

The average lottery odds are near 1 in 292.2 million (according to the Associated Press)

Is it even worth playing?

This line of thinking absolutely works with the lottery, but it does not apply everywhere.

Think about it… where else in nature do you see odds like this?

Even when we talk business longevity, the odds are astronomically better.

1 in 4 new businesses make it to 15 years or more (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Making it to 15 years in business is literally 73,050,000 times more likely than winning the lottery.

That’s insane! Why don’t people start businesses instead of playing the lottery?

Americans have 1 in 32 odds of becoming millionaires in their lifetimes (according to Balancing Everything).

Where’s my million, then?

These are just surface, result-based perspectives, it doesn’t quite work like that.

Success, especially early success, requires the perfect alignment of 3 things:

Effort.

Consistency.

and last but not least… Luck.

Most people know how to increase effort and remain consistent.

But do you know how to increase your luck?

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” — Wayne Gretzky

Dude, just increase your luck surface area.

What is ‘Luck Surface Area?’

It is a simple concept.

Imagine that luck is a random raindrop hitting the ground. Your luck surface area is the land that you own.

If a raindrop lands on your property, boom! You get lucky.

The odds of something happening are simply the frequency of rain. The higher the odds, the more the rainfall, the less luck surface area you need. The lower the odds, the less the rainfall, the more luck surface area you need.

It’s why the lottery has low odds but still gets played.

The odds are so low that no matter how many tickets one person buys, the increases in luck surface area are so small they are pretty much non-existent. This is why you see some people buy their first ticket and win while others buy tickets their whole life and never see a penny.

It is a truly random event that isn’t significantly influenced by luck's surface area.

What is influenced by ‘Luck Surface Area?’

The lottery is just one of those things that remains the anomaly.

You could influence the chance of getting struck by lightning if you want (1 in 1.1 million odds). Just go to a tall mountain on a stormy night and wave a lightning rod like it’s a rainstick (don’t actually do this).

My point is that almost anything that isn’t the lottery, even seemingly unlikely events, can be influenced by increasing luck surface area — increasing it is easier than most people think.

The hard part is putting in the work for long enough to see the results.

5 Ways to Increase Luck Surface Area!

What you have all probably been waiting for…

actionable advice!

They say to hang around successful people, and you’ll become successful.

Go to a mountain on a stormy day, waving a lightning rod to get struck by lightning (please don’t do this).

Stay inside and do nothing if you want to be depressed (don’t do this either).

The keys lie within these examples.

Method #1 — Change Your Geography

Getting struck by lightning is easier in high elevations above tall objects.

Where you are physically can greatly impact your luck surface area.

• If you live in a town of 1,000 people and want a tech job, well, maybe you should consider moving.
• Chances are, in a small town like that, you aren’t near any tech jobs.
• It’s why actors move to New York or Los Angeles, two ACTING capitals.

Go where there’s more opportunity.

Method #2 — Change Your Habits

It’s easy to be depressed if you don’t socialize with people or go outside. What do you think the ‘Winter Blues’ is?

What you do regularly can increase or decrease your luck surface area.

• If you want to feel satisfied but haven’t found your life’s purpose, well, maybe you should look for it.
• Chances are, giving purpose to your life will increase satisfaction.
• I incorporate daily education, regular networking, and portfolio development into my personal branding routine.
• I am continuing to expand my area on a daily basis — this article may not win, but the next might.

Regularly do the things that will put you in a position to win.

Method #3 — Change Your Circle

Achieving success becomes easier when you socialize with other successful people.

Who you socialize with can increase your luck surface area.

• This one is a little bit of a cheat code because it can check off all of these methods.
• Is it devious that I put it in the middle so only you see it? muahahahaa 😈
• If you want to be [insert thing], hang around people who [are thing].
• It flattens the learning curve as they can steer you correctly and help you learn from their successes and failures (mostly failures).
• While developing Facebook, Zuckerberg surrounded himself with other talented Harvard students and, later, Silicon Valley experts.
• This network, including co-founders like Eduardo Saverin and experienced mentors such as Peter Thiel, was crucial in scaling Facebook into a global platform.

Hang with people who have had or want the luck you want to have.

Method #4 — Change Your Mindset

Being depressed is easy if you think everything is pointless.

How you think great influences your luck surface area and your ability to expand it.

• To capitalize on luck landing on your territory, you have to be able to recognize it.
• Your mindset acts as your eyes to spot the raindrop.
• Without the right vision, you’ll miss the opportunity.
• Ben Franklin was struck by lightning (seriously, if you try this, I’m just going to blame natural selection).
• Isaac Newton was bonked on the head with an apple.
• Imagine if they had gotten upset about these inconveniences or ignored their curiosities!
• No smartphones or AI.
• No landing on the moon or any transportation.
• Instead, they developed many of the theories and laws that still power our society hundreds of years later.

Be open-minded and look for opportunities in all situations.

Method #5 — Change Your Influence

Lightning is attracted to tall metal objects, and without holding one, the chances of a lightning strike decrease. Be the lightning rod… metaphorically, of course.

How we are perceived can increase our luck surface area.

• If someone is looking to build up their consulting business, it would help them to build a social media following.
• Maybe even speak at conferences.
• Write a few awesome articles!
• People will naturally be drawn to your services because they see you as an expert.

Work towards being seen as someone who deserves the luck.

Whether that’s by lightning or people, I’ll let you decide, it’s your life.

What are your thoughts on luck surface area?

Reflection

In reality, ‘Luck’ is just a buzzword for opportunity, and ‘Luck Surface Area’ is the work you do towards increasing your chances at the opportunity.

Don’t let your opportunity pass you by, there’s a lot of things you can do to increase your chances.

It’s never too late! Just because you missed one raindrop, it doesn’t mean it will never happen again. Just work to expand your luck surface area and be prepared for the next time.

If you are someone looking to increase your surface area through all 5 of these methods, I may be able to help. I have created a do-it-yourself guide on personal branding.

Just visit mybluepath.com and follow the instructions.

It walks you through 6 steps to increase your luck surface area for personal branding success. It’s FREE, plus you get to join a community of other people also looking to increase their luck surface area.

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great day!